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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Transition or Second Childhood?

I'm not sure. I left behind a husband, a house, and a cat, not to mention a number of really good friends and some family in Northwest Missouri last July to move to Kentucky with my two Pembroke Welsh Corgis. So this blog is, for myself and any friends who drop in, a way of keeping track of our adventures and discoveries in a totally new place. It is not a place for discussin' or cussin' the many and varied reasons for my leaving. If you're reading this and you really really must know about those reasons email me privately, and if I think it's any of your business, I'll reply.

My profile picture shows three Corgis, from left to right, a very young Rhys, Jerry, and Molly. It was one of those later in life ephiphanies my discovering a complete and abiding passion for Corgis. Jerry, the beautiful sable boy, was my first Corgi and came to live with me in July, 2000, when he was four years old after his breeder finished his championship and decided he needed a home of his very own. Jerry was officially CH Tartan's I Am I Said, CGC. He taught me many lessons about having a dog in my life. He went with me as many places as he could...to school on special occasions, was a therapy dog making visits to nursing homes, dog public relation events sponsored by the St. Joseph Kennel Club. He was calm and quiet and the very best first Corgi anyone could ever have. At the age of 12 Jerry twisted his back resulting in partial rear leg paralysis. Although he did regain some use of his rear legs for a while, a year later he was down completely. In February 2010, at the age 14, I made the decision to let his spirit leave his deteriorating body behind. I still miss his quiet, calm and calming presence. Jerry's DNA was tested and he was classified as "at risk" for Degenerative Myelopathy. Although his initial back problem was IVDD (inter-vertebral disk disease), we believe his slow loss of control and difficulty using his front legs the last two months of his life may well have been from the dreaded DM. And the discussion and debate regarding DM, DM testing, and breeding decisions is best left for it's own blog entry as it is an issue I am quite passionate about.

The Corgi Road Crew, my two bestest in the whole world four-legged friends, are Molly and Rhys. During the summer of 2009 we took a six week trip, just the three of us, and I wrote a few blog entries and signed emails during our trip from The Corgi Road Crew.Molly is an eight year-old red-headed tri-color officially named Tartan's Unsinkable Molly B. She talks a lot. Sometimes she barks for a very good reason--someone is at the door, the neighbor is walking up the hill, the guineas are on the roof again; and sometimes she barks for reasons known only to herself. Molly's nickname is RooRoo because she possesses that endearing corgi vocalization called "roooing." It's not a crow, it's not a yodel, it's an ahrrrrooo and I have heard no other breed of dog make quite the same sound. Molly is also our sergeant-at-arms and protocol officer; if something is out of place or not quite right according to her standards, she lets everyone know in no uncertain terms. She is also a "Hi, I'm so glad to meet you and here I'll flop on my back so you can give me an hour of belly rubs, oh and by the way, do you have a cookie for me, too?" type of Corgi.

Rhys is my four year old red and white showboy. His official name is Kallista By Starlight Beguiled and he is two points shy of the necessary 15 for his AKC Conformation Championship. I have managed to show him to all but three of his 13 points which speaks to his stellar breeding and qualities and not necessarily to my handling skills. Rhys is a sweet-tempered, biddable, snuggle Corgi. He barks only when he has something very important to say and he does not have a roo. He is a truly lovely boy and I have hopes of seeing Rhys babies some day in the future.

I think that's enough of an introduction/opening post. Next one will include recent pictures.